I hope you’ll join me on my never-ending search for beautiful pieces, with history, for your home. Find my curated treasures, in Booth #154, at the Antique Trove, in Roseville, CA. ~ Barbara
Well, Here we are, in Week 4 of our HBO documentary/series… Today, it’s with great flourish, that I introduce, Mary Ann, of Classic Casual Home. Mary Ann has lead a coveted life as wife, mother, French speaking world traveler, living in a little beach town in southern California, when she isn’t on the slopes of Mammoth Mountain. On top of all that, she’s a talented designer. Her own homes are lovely. Her style is simply fabulous and she adheres to a look that’s created using quality materials, with lots of light, comfort and down-to-earth charm thrown in, for good measure!…
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One of the beautiful things about reaching this chapter in my life, is having the ability and most of all, time, to stretch my creative “wings”. I know that if you have kids at home, or a demanding career, or both, there’s little time or energy left for nurturing your creative side. Have you had a chance to explore what earthly experiences inspire you? For me, just about any creative process takes me to another place, whether it’s painting a chair, a canvas, making a necklace, greeting card or even a dog bed! It’s all good. Since I’ve really gotten…
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Hello there darlings!, You’d think I was on the payroll at Annie Sloan, considering all the posts I’ve made on the product! Sadly, that’s not the case! It is so darn much fun though, to take something that was in really sad shape and turn it into something I’d enjoy in our own home! This has been a busy painting week and tomorrow we’ll be taking the goods over to Veranda in the Clampett-Mobile. (The Clampett-Mobile is this ratty old open trailer that Mr. Wonderful has had for years. When I first saw it, it reminded me of the Clampett’s,…
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Hello my dear, In between customers today, at Veranda, I made these crazy fabric flowers. I made a prototype out of some scrap material and think they’d look especially cute in some bolder, summer fabrics. My first effort turned out larger than I’d like. I started with pieces of fabric, cut in airplane propeller shapes. I gathered the center if each “propeller”, so that it was cinched in the middle. Then I put a needle through the center of 5 “propeller blades”. Then I arranged them as I thought looked best and sewed them in place Finally, I sewed a…
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Pretty catchy title, eh? You probably thought I had started selling contraband diamonds from deep within the jungles of Africa. Not yet. You’ll be the first to know! Well, truthfully, I feel like a babe in the woods, taking my first wobbly steps with this ASCP stuff. …or maybe it’s 1971. I’m in my black leotard in Miss Brown’s Modern Dance class (the “bitchen” alternative to generic P.E.), when I feel like I’m dancing pretty darn well! In fact, I’ve got my groove on, so much better than Cindy Welt! Anyway, where was I going with all of this? I…
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Dear Wonder Dog, It’s me, your mom. Remember me? Do you really have to chew up the beautiful bed covers I sew for you? Was it the Velcro closure that you didn’t care for? Or the mix of fabrics? Please! Do tell! I’d love to spend my time creating something more exotic than a dog bed. No offense! Yes, of course, you are the apple of my eye. I feed you, I walk you, and all I ask in return, is that you don’t chew up your bed! Love, Your Mother If your dog enjoys chewing his bed, it’s easy…
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Hello darling! (Yes, that’s really what I say when I greet a friend, so let’s get to it!) This week, on the ratings-buster…. …we are meeting up with one of West Palm Beach’s antique experts and the writer of a favorite read of mine, Empress of the Eye. Drum roll, please! Let me introduce Ms. Jane Kilpatrick Schott, who on most days can be found “holding down the fort” at Brass Scale Antiques, on Antique Row. As you might recall, I spent a wonderful afternoon with Jane, last month, and she introduced me to the “who’s who” of antiques on…
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I have finally painted enough pieces of furniture, to see what works and what doesn’t. If you’re thinking about making your first ASCP purchase, here are a few rules to live by: 1. Relax. You can have just about all the do-overs you need with this product, as long as you do a light sanding in between coats. Besides, it’s not supposed to look perfect, so go with your guy instincts. This little table has made great progress since this shot. Yet, we found some wood filler was too high, so the top got some more sanding and it’s back…
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As the self-appointed foot stool expert, (having recovered 2 now, in two weeks!), I’m back with my newest DIY project. I found it Sunday, at the Sacramento Antique Fair. It came with the board and the leg base. It was a pretty straight forward project and what I really like is that the legs are old. The first foot stool project was nearly new, in comparison. I imagine that at one time, the wooden sides were completely covered. But I like the look of the wood, plus I lack the skill, at this point, to move to Upholstery 1-B. So,…
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